Siding Claims Center

I know, you can't get something for nothing and if someone approaches you with a scheme for doing such, usually the best reaction is to make sure he hasn't picked your pocket already and then run, not walk, away as fast as possible.

So I was a little surprised at myself for not hanging up the phone immediately when the caller identified himself as representing Siding Claims Center. He assured me it wasn't a sales call, of course, and then suggested that it would be in our mutual interest for me to listen to what he had to say. I guess it was the admission that this wasn't just for my benefit but also for his benefit that made me hesitate about hanging up. It seems like most salesmen don't want the customer to think that the salesman might actually benefit from a sale.

He then went on to explain that some makers of building siding used inferior products and misrepresented their quality. Home builders using these products unknowingly, built inferior houses. Apparently a class action suit claiming hundreds of millions of dollars damage was filed and was, in fact, decided in favor of the homeowners who were left "holding the bag" with these inferior exteriors.

Having had some personal experience with the quality of our siding, I was inclined to believe this guy but still skeptical about his offer of assistance. He explained that his company took care of all the claims paperwork and filing as well as any upfront money that might be required and, for that, expected 30% of the settlement. He provided me with names, web sites, lawsuit descriptions, and even a link to the Better Business Bureau. Still somewhat suspicious, I agreed to meet with their onsite inspector this morning to begin the process.

The inspector showed up on time and took less than 5 minutes to come to the conclusion that we just didn't have enough of the "right" kind of siding to file a complaint. We have enough inferior siding but it is the kind that was never held out to be anything other than what it was. I was impressed how this inspector could read the patterns of the various types of siding we have on our house and tell which manufacturer they each came from and when they were installed. He noted a couple of patch jobs on the front of our house that we hadn't even been aware of but can certainly see them now. He left his card in case we discovered some major problems in the next five years that aren't evident now and then he left.

The end result was that we didn't, in fact, get something for nothing unless you count an education about siding and knowledge that there are legitimate companies which really do want to help customers and expect to make money doing so.